The disclosure is related to a multi-band wireless station, e.g., a wireless access point, that includes more than one wireless radio in the same frequency band. The wireless station operates at multiple frequency bands, e.g., 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Further, the wireless station includes multiple radios in the same frequency band. For example, the wireless station can have two radios for the 5 GHz band—one for a low 5 GHz band and another for high 5 GHz band. If the client station is connecting to the 5 GHz band, it can either connect to the first sub-band or the second sub-band of the 5 GHz. The wireless station can decide the sub-band to which a particular client station has to be assigned based on a number of assignment attributes, e.g., client station attributes and the sub-band attributes.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method comprising: receiving, at a wireless station, a connection request from a first client station to connect to the wireless station, the wireless station operating in a multi-band frequency, the multi-band frequency including a first frequency band which is split into a first sub-band and a second sub-band, the first sub-band and the second sub-band being distinct frequency ranges within the first frequency band, the first client station communicating in the first frequency band; determining, by the wireless station, whether to assign the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band based on an assignment criteria, the assignment criteria being a function of a first attribute associated with the first sub-band, or the second sub-band, and a second attribute associated with the first client station; and assigning, by the wireless station, the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band based on the assignment criteria, wherein assigning includes: assigning the first client station from the first sub-band to the second sub-band within the first frequency band if an available airtime at the first sub-band is below a specified threshold.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first frequency band is a 5 GHz band, and wherein the first sub-band is at a lower frequency range of the of the 5 GHz band and the second sub-band is at a higher frequency range of the 5 GHz band.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein assigning the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band based on the assignment criteria includes: confirming, by the wireless station, that a distance of the first client station from the wireless station is greater than a threshold, and assigning the first client station to one of the first sub-band and the second sub-band that is at a higher frequency range of the first frequency band.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the distance is measured as a function of received signal strength indication (RSSI) of a wireless signal received from the client station.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the distance is measured as a function of a data rate of the first client station, the data rate being a rate at which the data packet is received at the wireless station from the first client station.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein assigning the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band based on the assignment criteria includes: assigning the first client station to the first sub-band if a data rate of the first client station is in a first range, wherein the first sub-band is assigned to a first plurality of client stations whose data rates are in the first range, and assigning the first client station to the second sub-band if the data rate is in the second range, wherein the second sub-band is assigned to a second plurality of client stations whose data rates are in the second range.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein assigning the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band based on the assignment criteria includes: assigning, by the wireless station, the first client station to the first sub-band if an application executing on the first client station, which is requesting access to the wireless station, is of a first type, the first type including applications whose maximum acceptable delay in receiving or transmitting data is below a specified threshold, wherein a first plurality of applications of the first type are assigned to the first sub-band, and assigning, by the wireless station, the first client station to the second sub-band if the application is of a second type, the second type including applications whose maximum acceptable delay in receiving or transmitting data exceeds the specified threshold, wherein a second plurality of applications of the second type are assigned to the second sub-band.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the application of the first type includes a real time or a near-real time application.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein assigning the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band based on the assignment criteria includes: assigning the first client station to the first-sub band if the first client station is of a first type, the first type including a first plurality of client stations that have a hardware configuration and communicate using protocols that support higher data rates than that of a second client station of a second type, and assigning the first client station to the second-sub band if the first client station is of the second type.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein assigning the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band based on the assignment criteria includes: determining a first load on the first sub-band as a function of available airtime on the first sub-band and a second load on the second sub-band as a function of available airtime on the second sub-band, and assigning, by the wireless station, the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band as a function of the first load and the second load.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein assigning the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band based on the assignment criteria includes: confirming, by the wireless station, if the first client station is a first wireless station to which a plurality of client stations connect, and assigning, by the wireless station, the first client station to one of the first sub-band or the second sub-band exclusively.
12. The method of claim 1 further comprising: determining, by the wireless station, an interference in the first frequency band caused by one of the first sub-band and the second sub-band on another of the first sub-band and the second sub-band; and reducing, by the wireless station, the interference by adjusting a transmission power of any of the first sub-band or the second sub-band.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein assigning the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band based on the assignment criteria includes assigning the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band as a function of at least one of a RSSI of a wireless signal from the wireless station and information included in the connection request.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein assigning the first client station to the first sub-band or the second sub-band includes assigning, in an event the RSSI is below a specified threshold, the first client station to one of the first sub-band and the second sub-band that is at a higher frequency range of the first frequency band.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the information included in the connection request includes at least one of a number of antennas the first client has, a wireless protocol in which the first client station can communicate.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first attribute associated with the first sub-band or the second sub-band includes any of an available airtime, an interference, a transmission power, a link rate, or a data rate associated with the corresponding sub-band.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second attribute associated with the first client station includes any of a type, a hardware configuration, an application executing on the first client station, or a distance of the first client station from the wireless station.
18. A multi-band wireless station, comprising: a plurality of wireless radios operating a plurality of frequency bands, wherein at least a first wireless radio and a second wireless radio operate at a first frequency band of the frequency bands, the first wireless radio operating at a first sub-band of the first frequency band, the second wireless radio operating at a second sub-band of the first frequency band, the first sub-band and the second sub-band being distinct frequency ranges within the first frequency band; and a client station assignment module to assign a plurality of client stations requesting connection to the multi-band wireless station to the first frequency band, the client station assignment module to assign a first subset of the client stations to the first sub-band and a second subset of the client stations to the second sub-band based on an assignment criteria, wherein the client station assignment module is further configured to assign a first client station from the first sub-band to the second sub-band within the first frequency band if an available airtime at the first sub-band is below a specified threshold.
19. The multi-band wireless station of claim 18 , wherein the client station module is configured to assign the first subset of the client stations to the first sub-band and the second subset of the client stations to the second sub-band based on an assignment criteria by: determining, a data rate of each of the client stations, identifying the first subset of the client stations having the data rates in a first range and the second subset of the clients having the data rates in a second range, the second range having higher data rates than the first range, and assigning the first subset of the client stations to one of the first sub-band and the second sub-band and the second subset of the client stations to another one of the first sub-band and the second sub-band.
20. The multi-band wireless station of claim 19 , wherein the first sub-band is at a lower frequency range of the first frequency band and the second sub-band is a higher frequency range of the first frequency band, and wherein the second subset of the client stations is assigned to the first sub-band and the first subset of the client stations is assigned to the second sub-band.
21. The multi-band wireless station of claim 18 , wherein the client station assignment module is further configured to: determine, based on the assignment criteria, that a first client station of the first subset of the client stations has to be assigned to the second sub-band, confirm, based on a profile of the first client station, that the first client station is not sticky, and assign the first client station from the first sub-band to the second sub-band.
22. The multi-band wireless station of claim 21 , wherein the client station assignment module determines that the first client station has to be assigned to the second sub-band from the first sub-band due to a change in RSSI of a signal received from the first client station.
23. The multi-band wireless station of claim 21 , wherein the client station assignment module determines that the first client station has to be assigned to the second sub-band due from the first sub-band to a change in a type of an application executing at the first client station that is requesting airtime of the multi-band wireless station.
24. The multi-band wireless station of claim 21 , wherein the client station assignment module determines that the first client station is sticky by: determining that the first client station is repeatedly sending the connection request to the multi-band wireless station in the first sub-band in response to a lack of response from the multi-band wireless station to the connection request, confirming that a number of times the connect request is received exceeds a specified threshold, and determining that the first client station is sticky.
25. The multi-band wireless station of claim 21 further comprising: a channel selection module to select a primary channel and a secondary channel for each of the first sub-band and the second sub-band, the primary channel used to transmit control data portion of data packets to a client station of the client stations, the secondary channel used to transmit data portion of the data packets to the client station.
26. The multi-band wireless station of claim 25 , wherein the channel selection module is configured to: for each of the first sub-band and the second sub-band, determine a grade for each channel of a frequency range of the first frequency band assigned to a specified sub-band, the frequency range having a plurality of channels, the grade determined as a function of any of (a) an interference caused on the channel by another sub-band, (b) a noise in the channel, (c) transmission power of the channel, or (d) number of times a data packet is transmitted to a client station before an acknowledgement is received from the client station, and assign a specified channel of the channels having a highest grade as the primary channel of the specified sub-band.
27. The multi-band wireless station of claim 26 , wherein the channel selection module is further configured to: monitor the primary channel of the specified sub-band on a specified schedule, confirm that a grade of the specified channel dropped below a specified threshold, and switch the primary channel from the specified channel to a second channel of the channels, the second channel having the highest grade.
28. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, comprising: instructions for determining, at a multi-band wireless station to which a plurality of client stations have connected wirelessly, one or more of (a) a physical (PHY) link rate for each of the client stations, (b) a RSSI of each of the client, or (c) an available airtime at each of a first sub-band and a second sub-band at which the multi-band wireless station operates, the first sub-band and the second sub-band being distinct frequency ranges within a first frequency band of a plurality of frequency bands at which the multi-band wireless station operates; instructions for confirming that the PHY link rate or the RSSI of a specified client station of the client stations assigned to the first sub-band is below a first specified threshold; instructions for confirming that the PHY link rate or the RSSI of the specified client station exceeds the first specified threshold on the second sub-band; instructions for confirming that the available airtime at the second sub-band exceeds a second specified threshold; and instructions for disassociating the specified client station from the first sub-band and assigning the specified client station to the second sub-band within the first frequency band.
29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 , wherein the first frequency band is 5 GHz band and the first sub-band and the second sub-band are distinct frequency ranges in the 5 GHz band.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 26, 2014
September 12, 2017
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